2007 Chapel Hill-Orange County Elections

2007 Chapel Hill Municipal Elections

Town Council
Matt Czajkowski
Sally Greene
Cam Hill
Will Raymond
Penny Rich
Bill Strom
Jim Ward

Will Raymond
www.campaign.willraymond.org
Click here for Chamber Commentary
Click here for Audio Responses

Legend:
Y = Yes, N = No, U = Undecided

1.) Is increasing the commercial tax base an important priority for you?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
Y	U	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y

2.) Do you support shortening the time it takes to have a project approved or denied in Chapel Hill if the quality of the development and level of citizen input remained high?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y

3.) Would you support creating a set of criteria for desirable development projects and then expediting the approval process for projects that meet those established criteria?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
Y	Y	Y	U	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

4.) Will you vote to set a lease expiration date or a deadline for the Homeless Shelter to vacate the old municiple building downtown?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
N	N	Y	N	N	N	Y	Y	U	Y

5.) Do you support land use regulations and regulatory practices that promote the construction of office, retail and workforce housing along transportation corridors?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
Y	U	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

6.) Do you generally support the concept of developing the Horace Williams Tract into a mixed use research park (Carolina North)?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
U	Y	Y	U	U	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

7.) Do you think a healthy growing economy is an equally important component of community sustainability as environmental protection and social equity?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	N	Y	Y	Y	Y

8.) Will you vote to implement the additional recommendations made by the Chapel Hill Parking Committee within the first six months of your term?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
U	U	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	U	Y

9.) Will you make economic development and redevelopment efforts a priority for you during your term in office?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

10.) Do you believe the town should provide incentives for its employees not to drive to work?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
Y	U	U	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y

11.) Do you support modifying the town’s panhandling ordinance to be more restrictive of the locations where people may panhandle in the downtown?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
Y	U	Y	N	U	N	Y	Y	U	Y

12.) Do you think the town needs to do more to make sure its committees and taskforces include more representation from the business community where there is currently very little?
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council							Chamber Position
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward	Chamber Position
U	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	U	Y

13.) List up to three specific things you would do to make Chapel Hill a better place to do business.
Chapel Hill Mayor		Chapel Hill Town Council
Foy	Wolff	Czajkowski	Greene	Hill	Raymond	Rich	Strom	Ward

Please click the following questions to hear the the candidates' response when asked at the forum held on October 9:
(for help in playing these files, please contact Randy Schmidt at 967-7075 x.32 or rschmidt@carolinachamber.org)

How is Chatham County’s growing population influencing your policy approach to economic development in Chapel Hill?

What should we do to ensure our youth are better informed of employment opportunities so that they can remain in our community?

This is a situational question based on a true circumstance facing the Chamber. A clean technology business from Canada approached us and is interested in locating in either Chapel Hill or the American Tobacco Campus in Durham. In the next five years, the company projects it will employ nearly 500 workers in good paying jobs. With commercial rents and housing prices higher in Chapel Hill than Durham and incentives likely to be offered to the company if it comes to Durham, what would you do to secure the location of this firm in Chapel Hill?

Chamber Commentary:

Will Raymond, a software engineer at a downtown Chapel Hill tech firm, has a carefully considered approach to a number of issues in Chapel Hill. Mr. Raymond says he is running for Council because he believes the Council has lost its way and is not fiscally responsible, pointing to the Lot 5 redevelopment as a prime example. He has a number of views that are in line with the Chamber’s goals, such as making parking cheaper and accessible in the downtown and repealing the privilege license tax. Mr. Raymond also expresses some views that oppose local business interests, such as his opposition to the shortening of the development approval process. While Mr. Raymond is an approachable, well researched candidate who would be willing to engage the business community, his interest in the most detailed aspects of issues and difficulty making commitments to macro objectives may impede his success as a council member.